Intel Launched Live Drone Light Show During Olympics Closing Ceremony


Soohorang, the white tiger mascot that symbolized the past two weeks of Olympic competition in Pyeongchang, and was given as a toy to all the medal-winning athletes, appeared in light over the Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium.

How? He was configured by 300 LED-emitting drones, according to Intel.

The drones formed into the tiger, hovering several hundred feet above the athletes, dignitaries and spectators crowding the stadium to usher out the Winter Olympics. From their place in the sky, they rearranged to form a heart to send off the athletes, Intel announced.

“Just like Soohorang, our Intel drones team has a challenging spirit and passion to push the limits and make amazing experiences possible,” Natalie Cheung, the general manager for Intel’s drone light show team, said in a statement. “It’s been an honor to celebrate such magnificent athleticism and teamwork with Intel drone light shows, and a victory for us to see our animations of the games come to life.”

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Those same drones also created images of Olympic sports and athletes — skiers, snowboarders, curlers, and more — to celebrate the medalists high over the medal plaza, Intel announced.

But all did not go so smoothly for the drones during the Olympics—a planned extravagant live display during the Opening Ceremony was canceled because of logistical issues, potentially including a hack of Olympics-related technology.

Nevertheless, the Shooting Star drones provided fans and athletes with a sight to behold before they left PyeongChang.